New App Challenges Skype’s VoIP Dominance
With the big news that Apple lifted restrictions on 3G VoIP calls in February and rumors that Skype might allow such calls in the near future, it’s no wonder that splashes from the opening salvos in the VoIP app wars can be seen around the App Store.
The latest combatant to enter the arena is Goober, who launched their iPhone app about two weeks ago (though the service has been around for computers since 2006). And while we’re still waiting for Skype to release a 3G-capable app, Goober’s is already here.
Other advantages to Goober include lower per-minute costs — Goober claims their rates are 25%-50% below Skype’s — and two free minutes per call, each call. As a sign-up incentive, Goober is also rewarding new users with 100 free minutes.
One downside though — according to their website, I’d paying about double for unlimited calling within the U.S. if I switched from Skype to Goober ($6 for Goober compared to the $3 I pay for Skype now).
Goober says they’re making a big splash, signing up 1,000 new users a day; Skype, load the guns — you’re up.
When he was eight, Eli Milchman came home from frolicking in the Veld one day and was given an Atari 400. Since then, his fascination with technology has made him an intrepid early adopter of whatever charming new contraption crosses his path — which explains why he's Cult of Mac's test editor-at-large. He calls San Francisco home, where he works as a journalist and photographer. Eli has contributed to the pages of 
